Glass columns of aluminum oxide (alumina) may be used in the process of column chromatography. This may entail adding solvents and other chemicals to the column of alumina to initiate a chemical reaction that produces radioisotopes. These radioisotopes may be used for medical diagnosis, treatment, and research.
Dispensing alumina into a glass column is typically done by hand and is a very labor intensive process. Moreover, if the column of alumina contains particles that are unevenly distributed, the subsequent chemical processing that produces the radioisotopes may be skewed.